Los Angeles Lakers: Why Lamar Odom Should Be Traded for 76er's Andre Iguodala

Lamar Odom, who had one of his best all around seasons last year with the Los Angeles Lakers—He won the NBA's sixth man award—may be on the trading block this off-season.

If the rumors reported by Sports Illustrated online are true then Odom may be on the move. The Lakers are looking to get younger and more athletic to continue contending for an NBA championship. 

Trading Lamar Odom to the Philadelphia 76ers has become a distinct possibility as the Lakers are looking to acquire a player like Andre Iguodala. This article looks at the upside and the downside of making such a trade. Whether or not this trade actually occurs will be something to keep an eye on, but until then we can only speculate.

First the upside.  

Upside: With Iguodala the Lakers Get Younger and More Athletic

In Iguodala the Lakers shave off some years and get a flat out athlete.

He can run the floor, he is a slasher, he can dunk and could give the Lakers huge momentum swings. He boasts an impressive array of moves and can also be counted on when it comes time to take the last shot. Andre would effectively take off a good chunk of pressure off of Kobe Bryant in terms of ball handling and scoring.

Iguodala is capable of scoring 20 points on any given night, and is also capable of distributing the ball and rebounding as he averaged seven in each category this past playoffs. Only two players averaged at least 14 points, 6.3 assists & 5.8 rebounds this season and those two are LeBron James and Andre Iguodala. 

Many say that it is a lateral move in terms of talent, but Igoudala is just reaching his peak while Odom may have peaked last season. Iguodala was recovering from an injury last season and therefore only played 67 games but we witnessed in the playoffs that he can still be very effective. The fact that he is younger makes him a viable player to see through the end of the post Kobe era as his running mate.

As the main player in this trade for Odom, Iguodala would be a player that could either come off the bench to spell Kobe Bryant, or even start as a forward over Ron Artest in a smaller lineup if the Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum tandem is used similarly to the Spurs Robinson Duncan combo when Mike Brown was an assistant coach there.

With a slasher like Igoudala starting, Bryant would get more room to open the floor and score, adding a great dynamic to the starting five.

Furthermore, Igoudala's reputation as a slasher would also help open space for Gasol and Bynum as the Lakers could become a more effective pick and pop team. However, Iguodala has recently developed a decent jumper, and under the tutoring of Kobe Bryant, he could develop it further. 

Upside: The Point Guard Issue Could Be Solved.

The Lakers' biggest issue this past season other than shooting woes and age may have been the weakness at the point guard position. Derek Fisher is aging and Steve Blake was a failed experiment. They are shopping for a point guard this off season, and if they are giving up Odom, they may want to get a point guard in return as well. The Lakers will not be able to trade Odom for Iguodala straight up, and therefore other assets will have to be involved.

Williams is a young guard who can keep up with the likes of Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, and Monta Ellis. Furthermore, he is able to score as well as distribute the ball. This past season with the 76ers he averaged nearly 14 points and four assists per game playing only 23 minutes a game.

In Los Angeles he would probably be asked to take a larger role with an older Derek Fisher and could likely get up to 30 minutes a game. In this bigger role, he could average a good 16 points and six assists which would be a great solution for the Lakers.

With Jrue Holiday coming into his own this past playoff push, the 76ers can afford to move Williams and bring in a player like Steve Blake to back him up. Of course, this is all dependent on the willingness of the 76er's to help LA and the chances may be slim. But still, if they manage to pick up Williams, this may be a huge trade for them.   

Upside: Get Rid of Bad Contracts.

As mentioned before, this trade cannot occur straight up, and some other players have to be included. Luke Walton has been linked, as well as Ron Artest as being one of the other players in the proposed deal.

Walton is coming towards the end of a large contract, and for a 76ers team that may be looking for a big free agent in the season, Walton could make for a good asset. If they take him on now, they could lose the weight of his contract in a couple of years and make room for a big free agency move.

Considered to be one of the less popular guys on the Lakers, Walton could actually get some playing time in Philadelphia as a savvy championship winning veteran and increase his value as his contract expires. If the Lakers could move Walton, it would be a large contract getting out of the way and could really help them.   

Upside: Less Pressure on Ron Artest

If Artest is not moved in this trade, he may have to move to the bench, which would relieve him of much of the pressure of being a starter. This past season, the Lakers saw spotty offense from Artest whose coaches stated that he was actually over thinking during the game.

Coming off the bench could help him calm down his offense as he will no longer be a part of the triangle and he will get a chance to be a primary option off the bench instead of looking for unique ways to score as he often does as a starter. Coming off the bench, Artest would be asked to be one of the main offensive options, and could return to older offensive form as he was with the Rockets and Kings by scoring more points against the opposing bench squads.

Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly Artest could bring a much needed defensive mentality to the bench squad. The Laker fans often saw leads dwindle as the bench squad was unable to play effective defense. Ron would be able to change that with his leadership on the defensive side of the ball.   

Upside: Less Distractions and More Hunger

Last season, Lamar Odom starred in a reality show on E! tv with his newly married wife Khloe Kardashian. The show, Khloe and Lamar was seen by many as a distraction to the Lakers, despite Lamar's improved play. However, one thing that cannot be denied is that the show did bring a larger spotlight to a team already covered and scrutinized extensively in the media.

The Lakers would lose the reality show, but perhaps gain the fact that there may be less distractions to the team. Although this is only a slight possibility, many fans do see it as an upside.

This is a key for the Lakers who seem to fall into complacency during the regular season. Bringing in a player like Andre could light a spark and increase the hunger on the team. Just like Ron Artest brought a championship tenacity in the 2010 campaign, could Iguodala bring the same next year? 

Downside: Chemistry Issues

Lamar Odom is one of the main players who has been with the Lakers during their Championship runs. He brings a great presence to the locker room. He is great friends with Kobe Bryant as well as other players.

Losing him may be similar to the Lakers losing the youthful presence of Sasha Vujacic last season. Although he was considered expendable by many fans, the loss of his three point shooting wasn't the only thing the Lakers were missing.

Without Vujacic the team chemistry changed a little as older veterans Joe Smith and Theo Ratliff were brought in. Although the two were considered good pickups at the time, they never really got any game time and put more pressure on the other players to perform. With Vujacic still on the Lakers running around, keeping the chemistry up, perhaps the Lakers wouldn't have been as tired.

Losing Lamar poses the danger of changing the chemistry issues for the worse, just like any trade and the Lakers need to evaluate this risk. 

Dowside: Losing Size Down Low.

In losing Lamar Odom, the Lakers lose the third portion of the three headed monster that form their big men. Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum never really got a chance to be on the court at the same time under the coaching of Phil Jackson, and that could change with the addition of Mike Brown.

Without Odom, the Lakers do lose a very big aspect of their advantage down low. Igoudala is a smaller player and does not offer the rebounding ability of Odom who averaged nearly nine rebounds per game last year.

However, with Andrew Bynum growing into a more skilled player, as seen during the 17-1 Lakers post all-star game run last year, the Lakers need to decide if the extra rebounding is worth it.  

Downside: Losing Both Lamar Odom and Ron Artest

It is also a distinct possibility that both Odom and Artest get moved to make the salaries work for both teams if Lou Williams is involved. Losing both of those guys could see a huge change in the landscape in Los Angeles. 

Both are part of the Laker's collective personality and losing them could be big, both in terms of losing defense and size as well as team chemistry. Ron Artest has been with the Lakers for two years and was a large part in the Lakers winning their 16th title as they repeated.

Lamar Odom has been around since the Shaquille O'Neal trade and has become a large part of the Lakers. He not only has seen the Lakers trough the darker days with Kwame Brown and Smush Parker but has also been there for both of the two Lakers Championships. 

Is it time to bring in new blood if you lose both of these Lakers in the process?

Downside: Is This Move Simply a Move for the Sake of a Move?

Could the Lakers be breaking up a capable squad that was simply done in by age, fatigue and a bad shooting streak?

This is a possibility, and a long off-season of rest could see this Laker team rejuvenated and ready to compete. This move could be seen as a panic move by many, as the Lakers do have a winning formula and could be destroying it.

Similar to the trade the Celtics made with Perkins and Green to get younger, it may hurt more than help this already talented squad.  

What Do You Think?

Should Lamar Odom be traded for Andre Iguodala? Is it worth it? How high is the risk? Where could the Lakers end up with this trade?

Comment below with your own opinion. 

Follow me on Twitter @source24 for more updates on this possible trade.